Green River Soccer Opens Season at NWAACC Friendlies Tournament

Look out Tukwila, WA over 40 college soccer clubs and nearly 900 college players this week will be dropping in at the first annual Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWACC) preseason Friendlies gathering. The two-day event runs August 31-September 1 and will include all but two of the junior colleges in the states of Washington and Oregon. Highline Athletic Director John Dunn helped the event become a reality. 'We've always had (what are called) “Crossovers” in other community college sports,” says Dunn. “It's been going on for several years, but soccer has never done anything like it. It has never been done before that almost every junior college soccer program between two states comes together over two days.”

The NWAAC has been flexible with making the tournament work, and they have been rewarded by both Starfire Sports Complex and Seattle Sounders FC for their willingness to be team players. “Our original dates were the 30th and the 31st. Then the Sounders advanced in the US Open Cup, and will play FC Dallas on the 30th,” says Dunn, “so we had to change our dates. So, now the Sounders are going to help us with our championship weekend all star game in exchange for moving the dates.

It is going to be all soccer, all day. “Our first match kicks off at 9:00 am, and the last set kicks off at 7:00 pm.,” Dunn describes. “We will have four fields going all day until it goes down to two for the late kick offs.” The Tukwila area will notice the invasion.

Tickets are $3 per day, or $5 for both days. “We are not trying to make money on this,” Dunn concludes. Success would be if everyone has a good time and we promote NWAACC soccer. We want to have a first time out that we can build on to make this a cool, annual tournament going forward.”

The Green River women will open its season on Wednesday at 11:00 am against Lower Columbia College and will play on Thursday morning at 9:00 am against SW Oregon College.